J Walking

Democrats aren’t the answer either

Are evangelicals moving left and talking about the environment and poverty and Africa? Will this move translate to enough new votes for Democrats to bring them to Congressional power?

Were this world all that was at play, was the question just a question of the right political priorities, these might be the most important questions. But in the light of the eternal, these are not the only questions.

So, for evangelicals preparing to vote, a caution to remember that voting for Democrats who are speaking pretty to you isn’t the answer either. This is especially true in light of what Andrew Sullivan highlights here:

“On Tuesday, we have to have more on our minds than color,” the preacher told the roughly 1,500 parishioners. He rattled off a list of unsympathetic black people, including the slave who alerted the masters to Nat Turner’s rebellion in 1831 and the black man who shot Malcolm X in 1965.

Want to talk about how both major parties relate to African Americans and Latinos? I hope you return to this subject in the future, beyond the selective passage you cite here. While both major parties fail miserably when relating to citizens of color, one party in particular engages in well-documented fear-tactics, time and time again, to discourage African American and especially Latino voters from showing up at the polls.Thanks GOP for continually spreading the love of Jesus.

I think you’re right that Democrats aren’t the answer for Evangelicals any more than is the GOP. The better question is what are people of faith wanting from ANY political party? Does Jesus have a political agenda? If the answer is yes, then how can a secular entity such as a political party fullfill a religious agenda without corrupting it in the process?

I wrote today on my blog RealCurrents about how we’ve got to shift back from idealism toward voting for the lesser of two evils. Even then, despite the many disappointments of the Republicans (especially Congress), as long as the Democrats cling to the most extreme elements of their base, the choice of who to vote against will be clear.

Dave, Good insightful correction. As a twentysomething student at the top evangelical seminary in the U.S. it seems to me that Christians do not think theologically first about the politics of voting. Though the Democratic candidates are not “Pastor-Jesus” either, we are left with a pseudo-defunt wannabe political democracy in America with two polarized choices. Your call for us evangelicals to fast for politics is right on, of course we should vote, but we must follow it up by, as Stanley Hauerwas would call it, a “politics of the church”. In other words, the church needs to begin asking the questions and exclaiming the issues and the politicians need to take note. The church must stop being a whore and trying to find acceptance in politics and power of this world. For Jesus has overcome the deception of Ceasar and for that he is called the one true Lord.

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David Kuo has been walking with Jesus for more than 20 years, during which time he has served as special assistant to the president in George W. Bush’s White House, policy director for Sen. John Ashcroft, and speechwriter for a gaggle of conservatives (plus a few liberals here and there). He is the author of “Tempting Faith,” a book about God and politics, and is currently the Washington editor for Beliefnet.com. He is in love with his wife Kim and three other females named Laura, Rachel, and Olivia, conveniently also known as his daughters. He is a member of the Association of Professional Bass Fishermen.

David Kuo has been walking with Jesus for more than 20 years, during which time he has served as special assistant to the president in George W. Bush’s White House, policy director for Sen. John Ashcroft, and speechwriter for a gaggle of conservatives (plus a few liberals here and there). He is the author of “Tempting Faith,” a book about God and politics, and is currently the Washington editor for Beliefnet.com. He is in love with his wife Kim and three other females named Laura, Rachel, and Olivia, conveniently also known as his daughters. He is a member of the Association of Professional Bass Fishermen.